i saw you in the moonlight
by hunukr
Summary: Ryo hates her job cleaning out the theater, and she longs to be a star who shines on the stage! But just when her life couldn't seem to get worse, she meets a strange creature who is also trying to live their dream. Is this a good or bad thing?
1. Their First Meeting

_im starting ANOTHER chapter fic,,, oops_

 _i feel like the dialogue and tone is inconsistent but oh well_

* * *

Ryo Aikawa stepped out of the dingy old theater, covered in dust, and into the moonlight. She sneezed, once, twice, thrice, then rubbed irritably at her nose.

"Ugh," she muttered softly. Then:

"I hate this job!" She exclaimed loudly, almost hoping her boss would hear it and fire her; he doesn't, of course, but one creature does. It's a small, shadow-like thing perched atop the chapel across the street and it—or she, as she much preferred to be called—was very curious. Very curious indeed.

She moved into the light, slowly, as to not frighten the human below her, but Ryo Aikawa was too busy moping to see the strange creature above her.

The creature coughed, lightly. Still, Ryo made no move to look up.

The creature coughed again, louder this time, but still softly.

She coughed three more times, each time louder than the last; she was beginning to feel very irritated.

Instead of coughing a fourth time, she leapt down in front of Ryo, not caring if she frightened her anymore.

 _That_ certain got Ryo's attention.

She stumbled backwards, gasping in fear; she was to afraid to scream. Terror clogged her throat, and traveled up her spine in icy cold waves. The thing in front of her smiled satisfactorily; it was a surprisingly beautiful smile for such a strange looking creature. The creature paced forward, looking an awful lot like a cat stalking its prey, and pressed Ryo up against the wall. Ryo could feel her skin against her; it was strangely rough, like stone.

"Now," she purred, her eyes flashing dangerously **,** her abnormally large, long teeth barred, "I demand that you answer my questions, immediately, alright?"

Ryo nodded frantically, wide-eyed. The creature was nothing like anything she'd ever seen.

The creature stepped away from her, smiling much more genuinely at her this time.

"Thank you!" She chirped, "You may sit."

Ryo felt hysterical laughter bubbling up into her throat at the primness of the thing's voice and shoved it down promptly, sitting down and leaning against the wall of the theater.

"Ask away," she said hoarsely, when the creature had not spoken in several minutes.

"Hmm," the thing hummed thoughtfully, her eyes gleaming a gentle brown in the moonlight. "Well, let's start with this. Why do you hate your job? Everyone else who comes out of that place seems so happy!" The thing seemed almost offended. Ryo blinked.

"Err, well... Do you mean the actors? Because they have a totally different job than me. They get to spread happiness and hope to people, and have fun playing all different kinds of roles while doing it! It's my dream to be one of them." It was the creature's turn to blink.

"And you're _not_? Why not? What do you do now? What do _they_ do?"

Ryo sighed.

"No, I'm not. I'm a cleaner. It's hard and it's long and underappreciated and it makes my body ache. I hate it." She took a deep breath. The next point was a sore point for her.

"One of the reasons I'm not an actor yet is because I'm too poor to have lessons, or to get my own costumes, or to advertise myself; but the main reason is because I'm a woman. It's a lot harder for a woman to become a star." At that moment, Ryo's ego felt more bruised than her back, which was black and blue from when she slipped and fell off the stage

"That's ghastly!" exclaimed the creature, tugging at her long, silvery hair; she looked very sad. In fact, she looked as if she was about to weep. It was a very strange sight, for she was such a fearsome creature. "I am sorry, truly. But I have one more question to ask of you."

Ryo swallowed another laugh, and nodded. "Continue." She said, as regally as she possibly could after such an embarrassing story.

The creature sniffed, her eyes going straight from bluish-grey to green again. "Well. I would like to know why your hair looks so strange."

At that, Ryo could no longer hold back her laugh; it bubbled out of her as she bent over, clutching her stomach. She was nearly shrieking, and her stomach ached from it all.

She subsided as suddenly as she started, and was left gasping. The creature before her looked extremely perplexed.

"I don't see what's so funny!" The creature exclaimed. "I asked a perfectly natural question!"

Ryo shook her head and chuckled. "Have you _looked_ at yourself lately?" She asked incredulously. "Your skin looks like it's made from stone, your ears are pointed and your teeth are _very_ large and _very_ sharp! And you have a _ton_ of them!" She looked back at the creature, which was staring at her strangely. "And your hair! Your hair looks like moonlit spiderwebs!"

It was the creature's turn to laugh. It was a light, silvery laugh, which belied it's appearance entirely.

"Silly human," she said fondly, "I look very normal for a troll."

Ryo squeaked. "Wuh—w-what?" She stuttered.

"A troll," the creature—er, troll—said, rolling her eyes. "Did you not hear me? My name is Koyuki, just so you know."

Ryo gaped at her. "I, um, er," she said, swallowing heavily, "You're a troll. Troll's _exist_."

"Well, obviously," Koyuki said, oblivious to Ryo's shock and denial.

"Er, ok," Ryo said, her stomach turning inside out, "Is there anything else I need to know about? Like, er, vampires?"

"Oh, yes," Koyuki said, nodding.

Ryo squeaked. "Vampires?!"

"Oh! No. Well, maybe. No one really knows."

"Sooo... Vampires are mythical creatures among mythical creatures?"

Koyuki laughed. "Basically, yeah."

Ryo relaxed, smiling.

"So, where do you come from? What's _your_ dream?"

Koyuki smiled back at her, settling down next to her.

"I came from Japan—"

"Really? Me too! Why did you come _here_ , of all places? To America?"

Koyuki grinned, her eyes crinkling. "I had heard the streets were gold, that the land ran with milk and honey. I Wanted to see it for myself."

"So that's why you left Japan, then?"

A shadow fell across Koyuki's face. Her golden eyes seemed suddenly dull.

"Not exactly, no. My beloved mother was taken from me many years before her time."

Ryo gasped. "I am so sorry, I... How...?"

Koyuki sighed.

"She was murdered," she said shortly, but not unkindly.

Suddenly, she leapt up, her back ridged. "Come on," she hissed, "Get into the chapel. Now!"

Ryo didn't question her. Despite their rough start, something about her was trustworthy; and she was terrified now, Ryo could see it in her eyes.

Ryo darted across the road and into the chapel. It had surely been a beautiful building once, for it had a lovely name—the Chapel of the Rose—but it was now as dilapidated as everything else on this street.

Ryo crouched below a pew and squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart thudded against her ribs as if it was trying to escape, and her stomach squirmed with nausea.

Strange noises were coming from outside: shrieks and horrifying growls and yowls, and low, insidious chanting noises that slithered like snakes.

Ryo covered her ears but the sounds wormed their way under her hands.

Then, suddenly, with a bang, everything went quiet and Ryo held her breath.

Heavy footsteps entered the chapel and Ryo stayed as still and quiet as possible. They stopped a few feet ahead of her.

"Ryo," Koyuki said, "You can come out now, it's over. For now." And then:

"Don't worry, he couldn't come here even if he was still alive; besides, shapeshifters can't take another shapeshifter's shape."

With that Ryo scrambled out from under the pew, hissing as she slammed her back into the low-hanging back.

"Shapeshifters?" She asked, breathless with pain, her back alight where she'd been bruised. Koyuki looked uncommonly worried; it was very funny to Ryo, who started to laugh nervously. That action seemed to relax Koyuki, who smiled warmly at her.

"A demon, I've been hunting him; you're safe now."

Ryo shuddered.

"Demon?"

Koyuki nodded; her eyes seemed dull and sad, like they had been when...

"A demon killed my mother," she said softly.

"Is this what you want to be, then?" Ryo asked, recalling her never-answered question.

Koyuki shook her head. "No, I want to be a great ballerina," she said. "I want to travel the world dancing for the rich and poor alike. I want to see everything, do everything, meet everyone. But first, I have to rid this earth of demons. Then, and only then, can I live my dream."

Ryo's heart swelled with sudden affection for this strange creature who wanted such simple things yet could not have them. She took Koyuki's hand in hers, looking up at the giant woman. Her hands were surprisingly warm.

"Koyuki, count me in. Teach me everything you know so that I can help you defeat the demons, and we can live our dreams."

* * *

woooooooooow what? what? basically, all of this can be summed up as: Troll Tries to Pretend She's Scary; Fails Miserably and Shoujo turns into Demon Hunting Anime?!

yeah

oh, also the trolls looks are based on a dream where i was a troll king with a troll wife. my gay heart was very happy

also? forgot to say this but uhhhhhhhh this was supposed to be about vampires but trolls are cooler


	2. Interlude: Prayer of the Heart

Later that evening, when the shadows were long and creeping, and Ryo began to feel afraid again, Koyuki knelt on the ground before the altar. She drew a thick circle of ash on the ground, and placed a bowl of water in it.

"This is holy water," she murmured to Ryo, who was peering curiously over her shoulder. "Now move back, I need space for this. No distractions either." She said this gently, and flashed Ryo a smile, as if to let her know she'd done no harm. Ryo scooted backward, nearly toppling over, and leaned against the nearest pew.

Koyuki nodded, then turned her back on Ryo and began to hum a strange tune; it was no earthly thing. It fell and rose as the wind, bringing to Ryo memories of her childhood in the wheat fields, or down by the stream catching tadpoles and squishing mud between her toes, or with her grandmama at the theater, gazing in awe at the actors and actresses on the stage, and on and on. The images streamed before her in a golden haze, until suddenly they stopped, as if the source had been dammed, and Ryo realized Koyuki had stopped singing.

Ryo was weeping freely, tears streaming down her face, something else she had not realized; something she had not done in a long time. Koyuki threw her a quick, fond, smile, as if she _knew_ , before going back to her ritual. It unnerved Ryo, who was not used to being read so well by practical strangers.

Koyuki began to murmur; she started out soft and soothing like the ocean, before her voice began to crescendo steadily, until she was almost shouting. It was all so controlled and calm though, so Ryo didn't think it could quite be called that.

It took Ryo awhile to realize that Koyuki was repeating the same words over and over again:

"Dear Holy Mother, beloved of mine heart, to you I cast this prayer; walk beside us all this night, and all the days before us, and keep the devil from following our footsteps like the dog he is, amen. Dear Holy Mother, breather of life, I cast this prayer unto you; keep mine companion that walks beside me in your sight, for she is now of your holy blood, amen. Dear holy Mother, whom I live and die for, lead us in your footsteps, oh Lord, amen."

She repeated these prayers until her voice grew hoarse, and would surely have continued on if Ryo had not stopped her.

"Koyuki," she called gently, "That is enough, your mother has surely heard you."

Koyuki smiled weakly.

"Not my mother, friend, or at least—not my earthly mother. I was praying to _the_ Mother. The Mother of all things, who carved me from stone and lit the sun in the sky."

Ryo blinked. Ah. Troll religion?

"I se—" She broke off, blinking rapidly. "Wait— _carved you from stone_?" She yelped.

Koyuki laughed, coming over to ruffle her hair. Ryo scowled playfully.

"Yes, of course," she chuckled, "Didn't you yourself say my skin looked like stone?"

"But!" Ryo squeaked, "You feel so warm!"

At that, they both flushed a little. Koyuki was the first to shake it off.

"I do have blood running through me," she admitted, sitting down beside Ryo, "Although it is nothing like human blood, it is warm."

Ryo frowned, thinking. "What color is it?" She blurted out curiously. Koyuki threw back her head, laughing uproariously (her laughter still managed to sound like silver bells, which Ryo found very amusing).

"My," Koyuki said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, "you are morbid." She paused to breathe.

"It is gold, little one, but when a troll turns against the Mother in spirit and mind, it runs black and sluggish, like tar."

Ryo blinked, taking in all of the information. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Wait," She squeaked, her mind suddenly catching up with her, "'little one'?"

Koyuki froze, flushing dark green.

"Ah," she muttered, "It slipped out. Do you not like it?"

Ryo shook her head quickly. "No, no!" She exclaimed, "It's fine! I was just surprised, is all."

Koyuki smiled shyly at Ryo, who cleared her throat nervously. "Well," she said, laughing nervously, "I should probably have a nickname for you too? I mean, if that's ok with you?" Koyuki looked thoughtful for a minute, twisting her hands in her lap. "Yuki," she blurted suddenly, her eyes widening as if surprised she had spoken. "Yuki," she said softer, looking strangely sad. Ryo took her hand and squeezed it gently. They gazed at each other, and it seemed as if a strange buzzing filled the air.

"Yuki it is, then," Ryo whispered.


End file.
